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Casita reports childcare expansion, housing needs and a $3.56M federal grant for a wellness project
Summary
Randy Cox of Casita updated the board on childcare expansion (about 150 slots), ongoing Badger Village housing feasibility that estimates a multi-thousand-unit shortfall, and a $3,557,000 federal grant awarded to support a transformation/wellness campus aiming to open in 2027.
Randy Cox, CEO and executive director of Casita, briefed the Klamath County Board of Commissioners on May 20 about a range of community and economic projects, including childcare expansion and housing initiatives.
Cox said a childcare project developed with Klamath Community College is producing about 150 new childcare slots and includes training to develop local childcare workers. He identified the county as a childcare desert, citing a survey finding that 80 percent of respondents said child care is not easily available and 43 percent in Klamath Falls reported that they or a partner had to quit or decline a job because of childcare shortages.
On housing, Cox discussed a market-feasibility study (Concord Group) indicating a substantial need—an early figure cited in the presentation was roughly 3,547 housing units short— and said the study will inform housing and workforce development planning, including work at Badger Village (property owned by KCC).
Cox also reported that Casita received a $3,557,000 direct spending grant supported by U.S. senators, which will help a transformation and wellness campus on Klamath Works; the project aims to increase capacity and support rehabilitation and workforce re-entry, with a planned opening in November 2027.
He invited commissioners to tours and events tied to Lake Awana wetland work and noted work on enterprise zones and business attraction, including a recent WinCo project the presenter said created local jobs and tax revenue. Commissioners asked procedural questions about letters of support for enterprise-zone applications and thanked Cox for the update.
